Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1978-03-02, Page 1• Winter fun It's sure a better view from the top. These kids took advantage of the high snow piles around Clinton to get a new perspective of things. From left are Steven Lippincott, 8, of 93 Huron St., Michael Tait, 8, of 194 Mary St. and Jacquline Draper, 8, of 4 Erie St. All three are in the same Grade 3 class at Clinton Public School. (News -Record photo by Ashley Geddes) Clinton, Ontario 30 cents Thursday, March 2, 1978 113th Year No. 9 fe8ther 1978 1977 H1 LO FEBRUARY 21 22 -10 22 20 -20 23 24 25 26 27 23 -7 30 18 31 20 21 4 26 :4 Snow 5" H1 10 18 -13 38 12 30 16 42 27 36 29 31 23 35 32 Snow 41/2 Rain .52 Striping teachers want to talk BY JEFF SEDDON The strike between Huron County's secondary school teachers and the county board of education took a turn for the better Wednesday morning when the teacher negotiating team initiated an effort to get back to the bargaining table. The teachers announced plans to invite representatives from the board back to negotiating meetings to try to settle the six month old contract problems. Shirley Weary, a spokesman for District 45 of the Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation (OSSTF) said Tuesday that the teachers planned to ask the board to re -open talks that ended February 14. Weary said the teachers were trying to end a board lockout of teachers that closed down the county's five secondary schools February 23. She said the teachers wanted to end the lockout and get the teachers and students back together. Weary said the move by the teachers was not a sign of weakening but was. Volunteers worth $9,000 to grandstand Volunteer laborers contributed nearly $9,000 worth of man hours to Clinton's new grandstand, the Kinsmen club were told at a recent meeting. Of the total $246,135.46 cost of the grandstand, volunteer people gave $8,681.46 worth of free time to tear down the old stand, clean-up the site, and help build the new stand. Raceway chairman Paul Kerrigan said the Kinsmen club gets the money back from the government for the volunteer hours. Kerrigan also said that the club still owes 'about $107,000 of the stand, but over $66,000 of that is from grants that the club hasn't received yet. So far, the Kinsmen have received a 06,000 Wintarit giant, 'and- a $31,2513 Ontario Racing Commission grant. When all the ,,grants are received, the Kinsmen will still .owe $46,000 on the new stand, which includes $8,741.97 in in- terest charges. Originally, the Kinsmen took on a $93,000 debt load when they promised March has come in like a' lamb, and the old saying goes, it will go out like a lion, but we'll just have to wait and see. February, however was both a lamb and a lion, depending on how you look at it, and according to Tony Chir of the Goderich weather office, the past month was an "er" month. It was much colder than normal, much sunnier thannormal, drier than normal, and less windy (calmer) than normal. Although the final statistics weren't available at presstime, Tony says average mean temperature for the month at Goderich was -10.6 ' degrees C, far below the average mean of -5.6 degrees C. while at Brucefield, the. February mean was - 10.4, compared to the normal -6.1 .degrees C. And for all you fans of the old Fahrenheit system, there were 18 days when the temperature was below zero. In fact, the thermometer hasn't crept over the freezing mark since January 26, a period of 34 days. +++ The Londesboro Lions club are hoping that the dry sunny weather lasts until at least.. Saturday, as they embark on a major project to collect old newspapers in town. Don't forget then, to have your papers (no magazines please) by 9:30, this Saturday morning. +++ It looks like today (Thursday) is the last day that Clinton and area automobile drivers will enjoy 78 cent a gallon gas, as in a surprise an- nouncement Tuesday night, the federal government is allowing the oil com- panies to increase gasoline and fuel oil Aniprices from three to five cents a gallon. +++ IP Sign spotted on church lawn: "Attend church now and avoid the Easter rush." +++ One learns very quickly in the newspaper business that it is very hard to win friends and influence people, but very easy to make enemies. Just one bad word about a teacher, for example, and they're all at your throat. +++ But We hope that won't discourage Ashley Geddes, a .second year jour- nalism dtudent at Conestoga College in Kitchener, who is serving a month's internship here at the News -Record. Ashley, 22, hails from London, Ontario, and is looking forward to meeting the people who read this paper sal faithfully every week. Clinton Town Council the new stand would cost the taxpayers nothing. "I'm glad to see the volunteers put so much labor into the new grandstand," Kerrigan said, "and the Kinsmen are pleased that we've been able to pay off $55,000 so far." The Kinsmen also reported that the raceway realized a profit of $5,900 not including mutual machine rentals, last summer. The Kinsmen get five per cent of the $1 million bet last year, plus gate reciepts and program sales, and out of that had to pay out $79,000 in purses, $38,000 in wages, and $15,000 in advertising, in- surance, and maintenance and other charges. "As you can see from the figures, the raceway is a major industry in Clinton," Kerrigan said. "It brings a great deal of money to town, both directly and in- directly." The Kinsmen plan to race 15 Sundays this year, am/have made tentative plans to race three Thursday twilight cards in July, should the Goderich raceway not open this year. In other business, the Kinsmen learned that the grandstand fund was enriched $1,100 from the Las Vegas night held in February. Man fined after bust Robert Edward, Wright, 19, of 110 Grand Ave., London pleaded guilty in Provincial Court in Goderich .on Thur- sday, February 24 to a charge of possession of marihuana for the purpose of trafficking. He was fined $750 by Judge W.G. Cochrane. Following a 12 -hour stake -out in Hullett Township on October 21, one baby food jar and 19 vials of hashish oil were found. The value of this drug seizure on the street would be estimated between $2,500 and $3,000 and added up to about one-quarter pound in weight. Many manhours and men had to be used in this investigation. In this case it involved Constables Doug Spitzig of the Goderich OPP, Bill McIntyre of the Exeter OPP, James Dore of Winghaiii' OPP and Peter Mason of the Goderich Police Department. The Clinton Police Department reported one accident this week when a vehicle driven by Walter Leppington, 22, of RR 4, Clinton and another vehicle driven by John Sproule, 74, of RR 2, Clinton collided. Damage to the Leppington car was set at $600 and $700 to the Sproule vehicle. Patricia McBride of Zurich reported that between Saturday, February 25 and Sunday, February 26 at the Elm Haven the battery was stolen from the car she was driving. The battery was valued at $50. Robert Semple, 57, Huron St., Clinton reported at between Friday, February 17 and Friday, February 25 a quantity of coins were stolen from his home. The total value of the coins is set at $410. Farmers fears still alive By Rhea Hamilton The combined fears of government takeover of land in the future and of urban residents viewing the grant system of taxation as handouts to the farmers were not soothed Monday night. Peter Hannam, president of theOntario Federation of Agriculture, spoke to a concerned crowd of over 200 people at the Clinton High School Monday night to explain the OFA policy on the property tax reforms being proposed by the Ontario government. Mr. Hannam and Bill Benson, second vice-president of the Federation, went over the history of tax reform which started in 1975 with the. proposal that government pay 100 percent of the taxes and a lien be put against the land and be payable by the farmer if the farm is taken out of productivity in the following ten years. The Blair report came next and Fire c)estroys truck The Goderich Detachment of the OPP and the Clinton and Area Fire Depart- ment are still investigating a truck fire which occurred on Tuesday night. A11 the OPP could report at this time was that the burning truck was found in a ditch, on Concession 10 and 11 of Goderich Township by passersby. The Clinton Fire Department quickly responded to the call about 9:30 and dowsed the blaze which completely destrbyed the Chevrolet Blazer. All the OPP could say was that the truck was registered to Glen Brindley and that the fire is still under in- vestigation at this time. The fire department were called out again early Wednesday morning at 1 a.m. However the alarm was false and intentionally sej, by vandals. suggested that there were too many uses for the tax funds. Blair suggested property tax for land use and people tax for people services. A long term tax solution would involve reform in income tax, property taxsales tax, corportation tax and everything would have to be assessed and re -divided up. This would take years. If Until people services are taken off of property tax there will remain many inequities" said Hannam. The OFA has suggested a short term alternative until that time. The OFA wants the farms assessed on productive value determined by the gate to gate sales. This land (farmland & buildings) defined as productive would then be legislated as such, and be tax exempt. The municipality would then take a mill rate for the total land declared tax free and submit a hill to the province for the taxes. With this proposal, the farmer is not identified with the farm land. One cheque to each municipality would cut costs, the OFA head said. "Having the land legislated as tax exempt would make it free from being changed by the whim of the govern- ment," he said. The farm residence would be taxed just like urban homes with consideration made to location and services. "The Rural Ontario Municipal Association assessment department can produce productive values for all farms and can he brought into place as quickly as market value assessment." Bill Benson told the crowd. "Nova Scotia and some of the states have already made farmlands and buildings exempt, " Mr. Benson said. "As long as I pay taxes like every other householder, that's acceptable. Tax exemption is seen as government and Turn to page . • merely an attempt to get together with the board and come to a reasonable settlement of their differences. She said the teachers did not want to see the matter go to binding arbitration pointing out that if that was the mutual aim then the two parties may as well expedite matters and ask for voluntary ar- bitration. She said the legal process involved with legislating binding arbitration is too slow. She said the teachers could weather the delay but that it was not fair to the students. Provincial regulations prevent the Education Relations Commission from investigating the Huron County strike until March 8, 21 days after the first strike action. Even after that in- vestigation there is no guarantee the ERC will recommend arbitration. That will only be suggested if it is felt students in the county are suffering because of the school closing. Cayley Hill, chairman of the board's negotiating team, said he had heard rumours that the teachers planned the move but said nothing had been made official. Hill did say the board was willing to discuss the contract any time the teachers had a "serious" proposal to offer. Sources close to the negotiations said the teachers appeared to be willing to discuss the figures in the contentious contract clause. The problem centres around teacher workload and the teachers appear to be in favour of discussing the figures to work out a reasonable agreement. The board's stand was to have the workload clause removed from the contract. No negotiating meeting date had been established at press time. Teachers will tutor, if asked Striking secondary school teachers in Huron County have not competely abandoned their students and appear willing to help any of their charges requesting assistance. The teachers seem willing to tutor students having difficulty with school work they're being asked to do with no formal class in- struction. The teachers have no formal policy on tutoring but a recent meeting between the teacher negotiating team and the Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation officers resulted in a policy being set down. Teachers are permitted to tutor at their pleasure provided they don't charge for the service. The negotiating team feels that if teachers are going to tutor for money they may as well be in the classrooms. The teachers seemed to be more than willing to help students coming to them. Many students have said that when they encounter difficulties with the material they have been asked to work at during the strike, they have called on the in- structors for help. The calls have never resulted in refusals by teachers ac- get from class room instruction but at cording to students polled to date. least it permits the conscientious The service provided by the teachers students to complete assignments. is a far cry from the benefits students In Tuckersmith Tax arrears $370,000 Taxes amounting to $369,781 are still owing to Tuckersmith Township for 1977. The figure was revealed when Mike Meyer, an accountant with Diegle, Malcolm and Hagey in Stratford ap- peared at a meeting of Tuckersmith council on Tuesday of last week to discuss the township's financial report for 1977. Total taxes owing have increased by more than $100,000 over the 1976 total of $264,112. Substantial increases in certain departmental totals were explained by Tuckersmith Township clerk Jack McLachlan who said: "In the past the township used to show net expenditures for some departments and now gross expenditures are shown along with gross revenue". Taxable assessment has increased and farm areas up from $3,901,000 in 1976 to $3,970,000 in 1977. Commercial assessment was down in 1977 as com- pared to 1976 from $314,000 to $303,000 and business assessment was up just slightly from $106,000 to $112,000. Mr. McLachlan said the increase in residential assessment is partly because of the commercial assessment going down. He explained that when a com- mercial property is vacant it is assessed at a residential rate. Lodge's 100th The Brucefield Oddfellows Lodge gathered at the Brucefield United Church on Tuesday evening to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Lodge. Attending the event were some of the Lodges' longest members Including left to News -Record photo) right, Gregor McGregor, 61 years; Ross Scott, 57 years; J.K. Cornish, 48 years; William Caldwell, 48 years; Fred Boyce, 48 years. Missing from the photo was Fred Burdge who has been a member of the Lodge for 66 years. Oddfellows marls centennial BY ASHLEY GEDDES The 100th birthday of the Brucefield Lodge, Independent Order of Oddfellows was celebrated last Tuesday night at the Brucefield United Church Hall with an anniversary banquet. Most of the 51 members attended the banquet along with members of the Rebekahs, a sister organization of female members. Food for the banquet was cooked and served by church members. The Oddfellows are a fraternal organization, said John Broadfoot of RR1 Brucefield, who is the Grand Master for all Ontario. He pointed out the distinction between a service club and a fraternal organization, comparing the Oddfellows with the Masons rather than a service club like the Lions. "Our motto is to improve and elevate the character of men," said B'roadfoot. The emblem of the group is a lit candle and their symbol of friendship and true love is a forget-me-not flower. When the Brucefield Oddfellows first began 100 years ago they met once a week. Now the groaup meets twice a month, sometimes organizing social functions such as supper parties and dances. A card party is held in Brucefield every two weeks where members get together for a hew hands of euchre. Rut the Oddfellows are not just a social group. They support programs such as an Ontario Research Program at the University of Toronto to eliminate blindness and other eye defects: a humanitarian service program providing equipment and money for cancer research at the University of Western Ontario and a United Nations Pilgrimage for Youth, where a bus load of boys and girls are taken to New York for three days every year to visit the United Nations Building and take a tour through Washington D.C. The Brucefield Lodge has started a new program this year of presenting a trophy at the annual curling bonspiel in Exeter. Broadfoot was elected to his position of Grand Master last June. Since then he has been busy visiting the 56 districts in Ontario with Oddfellow groups. He at- tends the lodge meetings in each district, discussing future programs. Broadfoot, who has been an Oddfellow member since 1948, said that although his position keeps him busy he enjoys it. The great amount of travelling he does to other districts is done by car but he is flying to Winnipeg March 14 for a Grand Master meeting, with Grand Masters from every province in Canada. "I've been in, I don't know how many strange beds, but I've never missed a night's sleep," said Broadfoot. "Sometimes I stay in hotels, but about 75 per cent of the time 1 stay in people's homes." In April, Broadfoot said he is driving to Thunder Bay and Kenora to attend lodge meetings. This trip will take about a week, but he will attend other meetings along the way. The Brucefield Lodge, No. 210 is one of eight Oddfellow lodges in the district of Huron. There are 56 districts in Ontario and the fellowship has branches all over North America. It first began in Baltimore in 1819 by Thomas Wildey who had been a member in England. The first meeting of the Brucefield Lodge was held February 28, 1978, above a general store that was located across from the present day fire hall. At that meeting were 30 members from Clinton and about 20 from Seaforth. Six officers were elected, members were initiated and then the group gathered at Kaiser's Hotel for supper. Tlie store and neigh- bouring blacksmith and harness shops burned down sometime around 1903 and the lodge was moved twice, until finally the Wheeler's blacksmith shop was bought in 1951. The living quarters were turned into one large room and an ad- dition was built on the back. Fred Burdge,who joined the Brucefield Oddfellows in April 1912, is the oldest member.